I was on a podcast this March talking about the Red Sox on a panel. One of the other guests was asked about Carl Crawford and his chances for a bounce back season.
He talked about how he had no doubt that Crawford was going to come back to being an elite player after a disappointing 2011 season.
Then another one talked about how Clay Buchholz is going to be back and regain his All Star stuff.
And I of course wondered what planet I was on at that time.
They came to me and I said "Crawford is done. I expect nothing from him."
One of the other guests got upset with me and said "How can you say that?"
I replied, well other than the fact that he is injured, has wrist issues, is getting older which will affect his speed and doesn't seem like a good fit in Boston, everything seems fine with Crawford.
Then I compared (Feet of) Clay Buchholz with Ben Sheets and Rich Harden. All are talented pitchers who just can't stay healthy and bring no ACTUAL value to the team, just that remarkable "potential."
I pointed out that the next year he logs 180 innings will be his first.
The next time he makes 30 starts will be his first.
Yes he was a fragile 22 year old when he threw that no hitter in 2007.
He's now a fragile 27 year old.
I also said the Red Sox starting staff was garbage besides Lester and the bullpen unreliable.
I was told I was being too pessimistic.
Well here we sit a month later.
Carl Crawford is walking the Earth (like Kane in Kung Fu) trying to find someone to give him good news about his shoulder. He still hasn't played for the Sox since diving for the final fly ball of the 2011 season.
And Buchholz? Oh he looks great. A fantastic 8.87 ERA, averaging less than 6 innings a start, letting up homers left and right and almost a 1 for 1 walk to strike out ratio.
HOORAY!
I don't WANT to be correct.
I WANT to be wrong!
I want Carl Crawford to be a 5 tool star and Clay Buchholz to be a stud.
But Crawford isn't playing and Buchholz isn't helping by playing.
Being right can be such a burden.
It's so hard to really buy into Clay's potential. Like you, I want to be wrong about him, but his little glimmers of good play have never really amounted to much. At what point does 'potential' become 'wasted potential'?
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ReplyDeleteHello Sully. Baseball is by far the most difficult sport I have ever known. I don't why but I find it difficult to hit the ball.
I do know that exact feeling, I have not been right about Crawford and Buchholz; however, I have been right about some people, especially friends
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